Building construction



Patented June 25, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE f f 25,005,91 Y

@BUILDING CONSTRUCTION l Emil A. Reither, A'Aitkin, Minn. "Application May 28, 1934, Serial No. 728,016

` 6 Claims.

Ihis invention relates to building constructions and its objects are as follows-` First, to provide a building constructed of uniformly turned logs, these being so interengaged along their lengths and `at the corner joints as to entirely do away with the necessity of nails, bracing and similar supports. Y

Second, to provide a building which, because of the foregoing construction, can be disassembled simply by lifting off the succeeding layers of logs 4and then transported as easily as it was erected.

Third, to provide a log with a single groove longitudinally of its surface and double grooving longitudinally of its surface on the opposite side so as to produce a tongue at a place diametrically opposite to the single groove, said double grooving forming a channel to receive the crown of the next log.

Fourth, to build up the walls with the channels underneath each logso as to form a watercheck along the seams and so contribute to a weathertight construction. Fifth, to enable making a weathertight corner, as well as one of symmetrical and pleasing appearance, without having to apply any finishing material such as plaster, finishing strips, flashing, etc., either `inside or outside. l

Sixth, to provide an improved sill log Vof simple andweathertight construction.A

Seventh, to use logsI similar to the wall logs as partition logs.

Figure l is a vertical cross sectionof the lower portion of a building taken next to the foundation, certain partition logs anda fraction of a joist being shown in elevation.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of a portion of a building illustrating the crossing of the logs as inlog-cabin construction.

Figure 3 is a plan view of they Vstructure in Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a plan view of the next lowest layer of logs, the parts being shown as viewedon Vthe line 4--4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a detail side elevation of one of the false ends presently described.

Figure 6 is a detail section taken substantially on the line 6-6 of Figure 4.

The chief purpose of the invention is to enable the building of a cabin out of logs, but to make it watertight as thebuilding progresses, the cabin having practically thefsame rustic effect of the well known logV cabin but being minus the multifarious structural defects 'which compel chinking before it becomes habitable in bad weather. The

improved logcabin is capable of being erected as easily as itcan be taken down, and in taking it down there is no likelihood of such harm befalling the logs and false ends as will prevent their being used again in a later building. These and other points are more clearly brought out, in the following description.

In Figure l the foundation I may be made out of any suitable and `available material. Gen-` erally it will consist of a concrete casting. `This is either rabbeted or socketed along the inturned upper margin as at 2 to receive the ends of joists 3on which the floor (not shown) is eventually placed. Courses or layers of logs are laid on the foundation I, beginning with the sill log 4.

This log. (referring to one of them) has a little more than a quarter section cut out in its longitudinal direction as at 5 so as to produce a deep recess to receive the upper-end' of the foundation. In other words, the sill log 4 is laid upon the foundation at the recess 5, the part 6 which remains Vof the log immediately adjacent to the recess comprising a flashing which prevents rain water from ordinarily Working past the sill log toward the inside of the cabin. Y l

Following the sill log course are superimposed courses or layers of logs which are herein called mortise and tenon logs because of their individual characteristics, these logs occurring in alternation. Figure 2 shows some of these superimposed layers of logs. If the reader were to view the building from a standing position at the left side of Figure 1 and near the corner at his right he `would see the layers in crossed relationship as in Figure 2.

The mortise logs are designated 'l and are so called because they have a hole `or mortise 8 near each end (Figs. 3 and 4). The'tenon logs 9 are so called because ltheir ends I0 fits into the mortises 8. False ends Il are applied to the outsides of the mortise logs 'l so as to appear as continuations or extensions of the tenon logs 9, for which purposes the vfalse ends have deep, semicircular end cuts l2 (Fig. 5) to t the outer con# tour of the mortise logs and are placed exactly in line with the tenon logs. The false ends Il thus look like the exposed ends I3 of the mortise logs 1 and give the building the characteristic crossed-log appearance.

Each mortise 8 is bored the diameter of the respective mortise log 1. The diameter of the mortise 8 is substantially the same as'the end I0 of the tenon log 9. All ofthe logs are turned to a uniform diameter. From this it will be understood that there is no bark on them.4 :This

produces a particularly pleasing appearance on the interior, removing the necessity of applying any finishing material whatsoever.

All of the logs, including the false ends I I have a single longitudinal groove in their upper surfaces. In the sill logs this groove is designated I4, in the mortise logs 'I it is designated I 5, in the tenon logs 9 it is designated I6 and in the false ends Il it is designated Il. Each groove I5 is continuous from end lto end of the respective mortise log. The groove I7 is a continuation of the groove I6 because of the break between the false end I I and the tenon log 9.

Each of the mortise and tenori logs and the false end (this time excepting the sill log 4)- has a double grooving running longitudinally oi its surface on the nether side. The double grooving is designated I8 and it occurs on that side of the mortise and tenon logs and the false end opposite to the foregoing single grooves. The dou-ble grooving produces a longitudinal tongue I9. This "is diametrically opposite to the single groove in all characteristics. This tongue even` tually becomes a key, so interengaging the logs along their lengths and at the corner joints as to firmly hold the structure together without the use of nailsor the like.

r:The double grooving forms a channelv on the nether side of each log course. This channel receives the crown 20 of the log course below and constitutes a water check because the surfaces of the channel slope downwardly and so make it diiiicult for the water to seep through. The interengaging grooves and tongues complete the water check along the seams so that moisture will ordinarily not work through to the interior of the cabin. The foregoing arrangement produces an overlapping of the log courses, the extent being the lateral dimension of the double or channel groove I8'.

vIn finishing a log` one of the first steps is to turn it down to the diameter of the smallest end. All logsof the same general size will be turned to the same diameter; It has been found practicable to turn them down to as little as 3%. There is not much more waste than the outside bark.

Next comes the grooving. The single groove at the top and the double grooving at the bottom is carried out in the longitudinal direction. One comes opposite to the other so that when the Walls are built up they will stand erect. The mortises 8 are bore-d into the mortise logsk "I a set distance from the ends at the mill. This leaves practically nothing more to be done at the site of the building than to carry out the process of erection.

After having laidthe sill course 4 which is built in mortise and tenon form, a regular mortise and vtenori course comes next. This and all subsequentv courses are identical as far as mortise and tenon logs are concerned. Presuming the cabin to be square there will be a pair of mortise logs on two of the confronting'sides and a pair of tenon logs on the two remaining confronting sides. The. ends of the tenori logs lt into the mortises as 'Will be understood.

The next course will also be a mortise and tenon course but the pair of mortise logs will go on top of the tenon logs beneath, and the companion tenon logs will go on top of the mortise logs beneath. So in reading from bottom to top the mortiseand tenon logs will be found to alternate, and according to the same principle mortise and tenon logs will be found to alternate in reading around any given course.

As the-.log courses are built upon each other the tongues and grooves will be interengaged. The tongues form keys which prevent pushing the walls outwardly. The false ends II may be put in place as the building progresses, but not necessarily so. They may be driven in later like plugs from the outside between the exposed ends I3 until the deep cuts I2 are stopped by the contours of the mortise logs. The interengaging tongues and grooves will hold the false ends in place.

The tongues I9 are cut out at 2I in twovplaces, only one place being shown (Fig. 6). This cutout is usually made with a chisel on the job, and

-it occurs at the place 22 (Fig. 6) where the mortise logs 'l jut out over the cross mortise logs in the course beneath. It will be understood from Figure 6 that the place 22 is the continuation of the outer contour of the mortise log of a given course, and since the mortise log of the course next highest crosses said mortise log something must be done at the place 22. Rather than to groove said place in order to make room for the tongue I9, which of course. would be feasible, it is preferred to cut the tongue at 2|.

A further provision is that of a partition Wall. The logs of that wall, designated 23 in Figure lfor the purpose of distinction are set into mortises 2G at their remote ends, .these mortises occurring on the insides of all ofthe logs in vertical series on those sides of the cabin which the partition is intended to abut. These partition logs will be set into the mortises 24 asl the construction progresses, other provisions being madefor a door should a door be desired. The contacting crown and nether parts of the partition logs have a groove and tongue construction (although not speciiically illustrated) identical with that in the cabin walls. 1

In this description no provision is included for doors and windows in the outer walls, that is to say, the superimposed layers of logs arranged in thel form of an enclosure. But in practice there will be a door and Window openings, and these willV simply be framed according to the known custom.

I claimz- 1. A building construction comprising at least two layers of logs, one superimposed on the other in the form of an enclosure, confronting pairs of logs in each layer having mortises to receive the tenon ends of the remaining logs of the respective layer thereby to make corner joints, the logs of one layer having grooves communicating and crossing at the corners, the logs of the other layer having'tongues interengaging With the grooves and forming keys especially at the corner joints.

2. A building construction comprising superimposed layers of logs arranged in the form of an enclosure, one opposing pair of logs in each layer having mortises containing the tenon ends of the other pair of logs in the same layer, the mortise and tenon logs alternating in the vertical direction, the ends of the mortise logs extending beyond the tenon logs, false ends projecting from the sides of the mortise logs in continuation of the tenon logs to produce a crossed-log appearance, and interengaging means between the various logs and between the false ends and extending ends of the mortise logs to tie the structure together.

3. A building construction comprising superimposed layersrof logs arranged in the form of an enclosure, some of the logs having -mortises at each end the other logs having tenon ends, the mortise and tenori logs alternating with each other in the vertical direction as well as in each layer, all of the logs having single longitudinal grooves in their crowns, and all of the logs, excepting the bottom layer, having a double grooving in their nether sides producing a tongue oc-1 oupying the single grooves simultaneously with the occupancy of the double grooving by the crowns thereby forming a water check.

4. A building construction comprising a layer of sill logs arranged in the form of an enclosure, said logs having a deep recess forming a flashing, a foundation on which said logs are laid, the foundation going into the recess, layers of logs of which some have mortises adjacent to each end and the others having tenon ends to t in the mortises superimposed upon said sill logs in wall formation, the crowns of all of the logs having single grooves, and the nether sides of all of the logs excepting the sill logs having a double grooving providing a channel occupied by the crowns and forming tongues occupying the single grooves.

5. A building construction comprising superimposed layers of logs arranged in the form of an enclosure, some of the logs having mortises near each end to receive the tenon ends of the remaining logs and certain ones of the logs having mortises in vertical series on the interior of the construction, said mortise and tenon logs occurring in alternation in the vertical direction as well as in each log layer, means embodied in the logs at the places where they contact due to superimposition for keying them together and producing a, water check, andra partition structure consisting of logs with similar keying means therebetween, the ends of said logs being set in the vertical series of mortises.

6 In a building construction, a unit of said construction comprising a log smooth-surfaced and uniformly cylindrical, said log having a longitudinal single groove in its surface and having a longitudinal double grooving on the opposite side producing a tongue diametrically opposite to said single groove, said log having at least one mortise equal in diameter to that of the log and of a depth that it communicates with said single groove.

EMIL A. REITHER.. 

